Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for obtaining location information using a smart card.
Discussion of the Related Art
Mobile terminals such as smart phones, etc. are being developed with the increased capabilities for providing various services and functionalities which are user-friendly. Among the capabilities, the mobile terminal may include a removable storage device such as a smart card (e.g., a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card or USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) card), which stores data, which can be read contactlessly by an external contactless reader. The smart cards generally use a UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) platform that supports telecommunication applications.
In addition to the mobile terminals, other peripheral devices have also gained much popularity. For instance, a GPS device which can be installed in a vehicle or other locations can provide accurate and current geographical location information of an entity (e.g., vehicle) at which the GPS device is installed. However, when the GPS device is connected to the mobile terminal 100, the location information provided by the GPS device can not be proactively requested or obtained by the smart card associated with the mobile terminal. This is because there is no defined interface for providing the smart card and smart-card based applications with the location information generated by the GPS device.